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79225-01 - Seminar: Sports and Turkish Nationalism (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Zeynep Sabanci (zeynep.sabanci@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course examines how sport became entangled with nationalism, state-building, and social identity in modern Turkey, tracing a line from the late Ottoman Empire to contemporary Europe. It begins with the making of the body into a "national matter" under Hamidian-era bureaucratic reform, before turning to the transfer of the German Turnbewegung tradition into Ottoman military schools, paramilitary youth organizations such as Türk Gücü Cemiyeti, and the Republic's project of raising a "robust and vigorous generation." In its second half, the course shifts from the People's Houses (Halkevleri) and Cold War-era football rivalries to Turkish migrant football clubs and identity politics in Europe today. The aim is to approach sport not merely as entertainment or competition, but as a stage on which nationalism, the continuities between empire and republic, and migrant/diasporic identity are enacted. |
| Learning objectives | • Explain how sport became entangled with nationalist ideology and state-building in the late Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. • Read secondary sources on physical culture, youth organizations, and national identity. • Situate Turkish sport history within broader theoretical debates on nationalism and biopolitics (Guttmann, Foucault) • Evaluate continuities and ruptures between the late Ottoman and early Republican periods through the lens of the body and sport. • Critically assess how migration and diaspora reshape national sporting identities in contemporary Europe. |
| Bibliography | Allen Guttmann, From Ritual to Record: The Nature of Modern Sports (New York: Columbia University Press, 1978) |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 15.09.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 22.09.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 29.09.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 06.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 13.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 20.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 27.10.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 03.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 10.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 17.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 24.11.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 01.12.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 08.12.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Tuesday 15.12.2026 | 10.15-12.00 | Kollegienhaus, Seminarraum 107 |
| Modules |
Module: Advanced Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Bachelor's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) Module: Topics in Near & Middle Eastern Studies (Master's degree subject: Near & Middle Eastern Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | • Explain how sport became entangled with nationalist ideology and state-building in the late Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic. • Read secondary sources on physical culture, youth organizations, and national identity. • Situate Turkish sport history within broader theoretical debates on nationalism and biopolitics (Guttmann, Foucault) • Evaluate continuities and ruptures between the late Ottoman and early Republican periods through the lens of the body and sport. • Critically assess how migration and diaspora reshape national sporting identities in contemporary Europe. This seminar is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. You need to complete tasks to successfully complete the seminar. Your performance will be evaluated based on (1) your active participation and attendance to class and (2) completion of the required tasks/assessments (presentations) Your active participation to in-class discussion and activities is key to your success, through which you facilitate your own and indirectly your classmates’ motivation and progress. You are supposed to inform your instructor about your absences in advance. Students who miss more than 2 sessions will not receive credits for this seminar. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Nahost-Studien |